Oh hey girl!

Welcome to the HLPHOTO Blog! I'm Heather Gillelan, and I am a wedding photographer based in Powhatan, Virginia. I hope you grab some coffee (or an energy drink!) and enjoy checking out my latest work, and getting a little peek into the organized chaos that is my life!

Welcome to the HLPHOTO Blog! I'm Heather Gillelan, and I am a wedding photographer based in Virginia Beach, Virginia. I hope you grab some coffee (or an energy drink!) and enjoy checking out my latest work, and getting a little peek into the organized chaos that is my life!

Jennifer + Brandon wanted their engagement portraits to be laid back, classy & as fun as they are, and I definitely think we checked off all the boxes! These two laughed and joked with each other the entire session, and honestly, other than it being HOTTTT, it was absolutely perfect! From blue skies that quickly […]

When Brittany first reached out and about wanting to do their engagement session in the mountains, I was BEYOND ecstatic. Heading to photograph in the mountains is always a big fat YES from me, and I swear every minute I spend there just makes my heart happy. We were blessed with the perfect weather & […]

Picture this: Halee + Jason are only in town for a few days, their scheduled engagement session is in 30 minutes, and the weather that has been nice all day just changed to a chance of thunderstorms. Cue my panic! We decided to give it a try & hope for the best, and my oh […]

I got the pleasure of meeting Erin + Mike for the first time for their engagement session at Maymont Park in RVA, and let me just start off by saying that these two are such sweet human beings! The temps dropped dramatically from the day before, but they braved the cold with me and never […]

When Brittany first reached out about their engagement portraits, we started chatting about potential locations, and the SECOND she mentioned the mountains, I was alllllll in. I was a little worried about the weather, since every other time I had hiked was during the fall, but let me tell you, the stars aligned or something […]

Alexa + Dj showed up & showed out with allllll the cuteness for their engagement pictures! Seriously though, those pants & that shirt?! Absolutely amazing! These two were so so sweet (which, if I’m honest, I already knew because Alexa’s sister is my bestie, but still) and it was so refreshing to just hangout and […]

Once upon a time, two people fell in love, and then they hired me to be their wedding photographer! All jokes aside, these two are the absolute sweetest! I have known Harvey for years, and Sarah is definitely his perfect match! It is always so exciting for me when I can chat with a bride […]

Okay okay, so every now and then, an amazing group of vendors get together and create literal magic. This was absolutely one of those times. Kimberly at the Lesner Inn handpicked & connected every single vendor to make this styled shoot come to life, and aside from every single detail being perfect, it was just […]

I have known & been close with Brandon for about 11 years now, and he has always been like a best friend/brother to me. When Katelyn came into the picture a few years ago, I gladly relinquished my “best friend” title to her, because I just knew deep down that she was truly his other […]

Spring has sprung here in VA! I got to meet up with Catherine + Matt yesterday for their engagement portraits, and they absolutely ROCKED IT! It was definitely a bit chilly (good ol va weather!) but that didn’t stop us & I am so glad! Seriously though, CHECK OUT the flowering trees! These two are […]